The Creator Far Above Space
The Almighty Creator is far above space and time which are some necessities of all beings which depend on Allah in their existence. A man from Ma` Wara`' Nahr Balkh (Transoxania) came to Ima`m al-Rida`, peace be on him, and said to him: "I want to ask you a question. If your answer is the same as I have already known, I will believe in your Ima`mate."
"Ask whatever you like," replied the Ima`m.
The man asked the Imam, saying: "Tell me about your Lord: Since when and how (in what state) has your Lord been in existence and what does He subsist on?"
"Verily, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, determined the 'where' without 'whereness'; and He fashioned the 'how' without 'howness'; and He subsists on His own power," replied the Imam.
Surely, it is Allah, the Most High, who created space and time; they are of His creatures; therefore, how is He described by them?
The man admired the Ima`m's answer, and then he hurried to kiss his head and said: "I witness that there is no god but Allah, that Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah, that 'Ali is the testamentary
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1. Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1. pp. 120-123.
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trustee of Allah's Messenger and the custodian after him for what Allah's Messenger (may Allah bless him and his family) had undertaken, that your are the true Ima`ms, and that you are the successor after them. "
1
The Ima`m was among the sources of guidance and light on earth, hence he spread in his time faith in Allah and established argument against the creatures.
Seeing Allah is Impossible
Mohammed b. 'Ubayd Allah wrote to Ima`m al-Rida`, peace be on him; he asked him about the ocular vision of Allah, the Exalted, and what was traditionally narrated by the common people (
al-'ammah) and the elite (
al-khasa); and he asked him to explain the matter fully to him.
The Imam wrote him the following letter: "All are agreed and there is no dissension among the people that acknowledge of any thing through visual perception is necessary and certain. Now if it is true that seeing Allah with the eye is necessary for knowledge of Allah to occur, then this knowledge must fall into one of two cases. It is either the belief (in Allah which is required by Him) or not that belief. If this knowledge of Allah by way of visual perception is that belief, then the knowledge of Allah through intellectual perception, which is alone available in this world, is not that belief because intellectual perception is contrary to visual perception. Then there will not be a single believer in the world because they have not seen Allah, may His remembrance be Exalted. And if the knowledge of Allah by way of visual perception is not the belief (required by Him) then the knowledge of Allah which has been attained (through intellectual perception which is the required belief) must disappear in the hereafter. This is the argument in support of the truth that Allah, the Great and Almighty, cannot be seen through the eye, for if it is held that He can be seen by eyes, the matter will revert to what we have explained. "
2
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1. Ibid., p.88.
2. Ibid., p. 96-97.
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Through this conclusive argument the Imam, peace be on him, disproved seeing the Great Creator through the eye, not through thinking and reason, for if the belief in Allah, the Exalted, is related to seeing through the eye, then the belief which results from the conscientious proofs of Allah's existence is not belief, and it is invalid; and if the knowledge of Allah, the Most High, which stems from visibility is not belief, then the knowledge which results from the proofs is not the reason for belief, and this is also invalid.
Surely belief in Allah is one of the necessities which none denies except him who has gone astray, for Allah, the Exalted, is the most prominent reality which His creatures indicate in this existence.
Authorization and Compulsion are Invalid
As for authorization, it opposes Islamic religion; likewise, compulsion has no relationship with Islam. Al-Hasan b. 'Ali al-Washsha`' asked Ima`m al-Rida`, peace be on him, about these two matters: "Has Allah entrusted to (His) servants all their affairs?"
"Allah is far above this," retorted the Ima`m.
"Has Allah compelled them to commit sins?" asked al-Hasan.
"Allah is too just and too wise to do this," answered the Ima`m.
Then the Ima`m added: "Allah says: O son of A@dam, I deserve your good deeds more than you yourself and you deserves your vices than I Myself. You have committed sins through the power and authority I have granted to you. "
1
Definitely, Allah, the Exalted, has given perfect will to His servants, so it is they who, according to their own pure will, obey or disobey Him; and they are not compelled to do any act of disobedience.
Another example of what has been transmitted from Ima`m al-Rida`, peace be on him, concerning refuting compulsion and authorization is that which has been narrated by Sulayma`n b. Ja'far al-Ja'fari, who said: "Compulsion and authorization were mentioned in the presence of Ima`m al-Rida`, peace be on him, and he said: 'Will I
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1. Ibid., 157.
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give you an origin about this, over which you will not differ, and you will defeat anyone who debates with you on it?"
"Yes," his companions replied.
He, peace be on him, said: "Verily, Allah, the Exalted, has not been obeyed through compulsion; nor has he been disobeyed through overcoming; nor has he neglected the servants in His kingdom. It is He who possesses what He has made them possess, and He who has power over that which He has given power to them. If the servants follow the obedience to Him, He will not repel or prevent them from it; and if they follow the disobedience to Him, and He wills to come between them and that, then He will do (that). And if He does not come (between them and the disobedience) and they do (it), then it is not He who makes them commit it."
After this decisive proof, he, peace be on him, said to his companions: "He who does well the limits of this speech defeats him who opposes him. "
1
The Ima`m emphasized this matter during his talk with 'Ali b. Asba`t, who asked him about the capacity (of human beings), and he answered him: "Man can be invested with full ability after his acquisition of four characteristics: he should be free in respect of action, soundness of body, proper functioning of the limbs and the means for the performance provided by Allah to him."
"May I be your ransom, kindly explain this (speech) to me," requested 'Ali.
The Ima`m, peace be on him, explained this matter to him, saying: "A certain man is free in respect of his action, has soundness of body and the proper functioning of the limbs, and intends to commit adultery, but finds no woman and then (seeks and) finds her, then (in spite of this position of the means of action) he restrains himself (from the act of adultery) as was done by Yu`suf (Joseph). If, (on the contrary, he removes the self-restriction) between him and his temptation and indulges (himself) in adultery, then (and only then) will he be called an adulterer. Such a person (is he who possesses
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1. Uyun Akhbar al-Rida, vol. 1, p. 144.
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ability, and in this case he either acts according to his ability or not, but he) has not obeyed Allah by way of compulsion; nor has he overpowered Allah through his act of disobedience. "
1
Indeed, Ima`m al-Rida`, peace be on him, and the rest of the Ima`ms of guidance, peace be on them, disproved authorization and compulsion, and they decisively proved the intermediate position.
Confuting the Views of the Qadariya
Ima`m al-Rida`, peace be on him, confuted the views of the fatalists (
Qadariya) and disproved their vague errors during a conversation with Yu`nus b. 'Abd al-Rahma`n. He, peace be on him, said: "O Yu`nus, do not utter the worlds of the fatalists(
Qadariya), since they do not say what the dwellers of the Garden say; nor do they say the words of the people of the Fire; nor do they say the words of Satan. The dwellers of the Garden say:
Praise belongs to Allah who guided us to this; had Allah not guided us, we had surely never been guided. The people of the Fire say:
Our Lord, our adversity overcame us; we were erring people. And Iblis (Satan) says:
My Lord, for Your preventing me (I shall deck all affair to them in the earth)."
Yunus denied that he would utter their words, saying: "By Allah, I do not say their words, but I say: 'Nothing happens (in this universe) except through which Allah desires, wills, ordains, and decrees.'"
The Ima`m answered him, saying: "O Yu`nus, it is not like that. Nothing happens except according to Allah's desire, will, ordination, and decree. O Yu`nus, do you know what Divine will (mashï~'a) is?"
"No," Yu`nus replied.
The Imam explained to him the reality of Divine desire, saying: "It is the first knowledge (i.e., the prior knowledge of Allah with respect to His action). Do you know what Divine will (ira`da) is?"
"No," Yu`nus answered.
The Ima`m explained to him the essence of Divine will, saying "It is Allah's determination of what He wills. Do you know what fate is?"
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1. Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, pp. 160-161.
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"No," Yunus replied.
So the Ima`m declared: "It is the measuring and estimating of things and the fixing of their limitations regarding their beginning and end. As for (Allah's) decree, it means finalizing things and bringing them into (existence in) sentient world."
Yunus bowed in admiration and magnification for the Ima`m, then he kissed his head and said to him: "You have disclosed to me what I was in ignorance of. "
1
The Imamate
Among the ideological researches which Ima`m al-Rida`, peace be on him, discussed was the Ima`mate. He mentioned it on many occasions of which are following:
1. The Importance of the Imamate
The Ima`mate is the most important office in Islam, for it safeguards and protects the community from any aggression, secures it dignity and freedom, and achieves all its objectives.
The Imam, peace be on him, stated an inclusive talk before 'Abd al-'Azï~z b. Muslim. During the talk he objectively presented the importance of the Ima`mate, and indicated that it was the most important objective and principle which Islam adopted. Before his death, the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, appointed the leader and authority of the community, who was Ima`m 'Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, the pioneer of wisdom in Islam. Now, listen to Ima`m's al-Rida` speech about the Ima`mate. He, peace be on him, has said:
"O 'Abd al-'Azïz, the people did not know, and have been deceived in their opinions. Verily, Allah to Whom belongs Might and Majesty, did not take away (the life of) His Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, until He had perfected the religion for him, and had sent down on him the Qur'a`n in which there is the clarification of all things. He completely clarified in it what is lawful and what is
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1. Ibid., p. 157.
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unlawful, the punishments (
hudud) and the commands, and all that people need. He, the Great and Almighty, said:
We have neglected nothing in the book.1 And He sent down in the Farewell Pilgrimage, which was at the end of his life, may Allah bless him and his family:
Today I have perfected your religion for you, and I have completed my blessing upon you, and I have approved Islam for your religion. 2 And the matter of the Ima`mate is one of things by which the religion is completed. He (the Prophet), may Allah bless him and his family, did not pass away until he had clarified the guiding principles of their religion to his community and made plain their path for them, and he left them pointing in the direction of the path of the truth. And he appointed 'Ali as an Ima`m (leader) for them. He (Allah) has not left for them anything which the community needs without clarifying it. Hence, whoever imagines that Allah, the Great and Almighty, has not perfected His religion has surely rejected the Book of Allah, and whoever has rejected the Book of Allah is an unbeliever in it."
This paragraph gives an account of the great importance of the Ima`mate with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, for it was the most important element of his immortal message, and for through it the religion was perfected and the blessing was completed. He (the Prophet), may Allah bless him and his family, chose for this important office his brother, the gate of the city of his knowledge, Ima`m 'Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him. He appointed him as an Ima`m (leader) after him and ordered the Muslims to Pledge allegiance to him at Ghadï~r Khum, and through this appointing he (the Prophet), may Allah bless him and his family, made clear the path for the community. In other words he did not leave the affairs of the community in chaos after him. Now, let us listen to
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1. Qur'an, 6, 38.
2. Ibid., 5, 3. This Verse was revealed on the day of Id al-Ghadir ( Feast on 18th Dhu al-Hijja), the immortal day when the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, appointed Imam Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be upon him, as a leader for his community after him. And al-Ghadir 'Id is part of the Islamic message.
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another part of the Imam's speech concerning the importance of the Imamate:
"Do they know the value of the Ima`mate and its position in the community that their selection could be allowable in this matter? Verily, the Ima`mate is too sublime among values, too great among ranks, too high among stations, too impenetrable on all sides, too profound among the depths, for people to reach it with their intellects, or to grasp it with their opinions, or to appoint an Ima`m by their choice. Verily, the Ima`mate is that by which Allah, the Great and Almighty, has distinguished Ibrahïm, the bosom Friend (of Allah), after the Prophethood and the Intimacy, as a third degree, and an eminence with which He honored him and by which he raised his renown, and He (Allah) said:
Behold! I make you an Imam (leader) for the people.1 Then the bosom Friend (Ibrahïm) out of delight in it (the Ima`mate) said:
And of my progeny? Allah, the Great and Almighty, said:
My covenant shall not reach the evil-doers. Thus, this verse has abolished the Ima`mate (leadership) of all evil-doers till the Day of Resurrection, and it has been confined to the chosen ones. Then Allah, the Great and Almighty, honored him through confining the Imamate to his children, who were chosen and purified (by Allah). So He, the Great and Almighty, said:
And we gave him Ishaq and Ya'qub in superabundance, and everyone made We righteous and appointed them to be Ima`ms guiding by Our commands, and We revealed to them the doing of good deeds, and to perform the prayer, and to pay the zaka`t, and us they served.2 So it (the Ima`mate) did not leave his children, who inherited it one by one, and generation after generation till Allah, the Great and Almighty, made the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, inherit it. Hence He, the Great and Almighty, said:
Surely the people standing closest to him (Ibra`hï~m) are those who followed him, and this Prophet, and those who believe; and Allah is the Master of the believers.3 So it (the Imamate) belonged to him (the
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1. Ibid., 2, 121.
2. Ibid., 21, 72-73.
3. Ibid., 3, 68.
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Prophet) particularly, and hence he, may Allah bless him and his family, invested 'Ali with it by the command of Allah, the Great and Almighty, in the way which Allah had made obligatory. So it became to be in his ('Ali's) chosen children, to whom Allah gave knowledge and faith, as in the words of Him, the Great and Almighty:
But those who have been given knowledge and faith shall say: You have remained in Allah's Book until the Day of Resurrection.1 Thus it will be within the sons of 'Ali, especially, till the Day of Resurrection, since there is no prophet after Mohammed, may Allah bless him and his family. So from where have these ignorant people got (the right) to select?"
In this part of his speech the Ima`m, peace be on him, presented that it was impossible for the community to elect someone for the office of Ima`mate. In other words the office of the Ima`mate is not subject to the will of the masses, who have no knowledge in the reality of the affairs and things; rather the affair of the Ima`mate is in the hand of Allah, the Most High; it is He who elects, for the leadership of His servants, those who have excellent qualities such as reverential fear, clinging to religion, and knowledge which the community needs in all fields, that He may secure it noble life free from oppression, tyranny, persecutions, and poverty.
The affair of the Ima`mate is in the hand of Allah, the Exalted, just as the Prophethood is, hence He granted it to the most meritorious of His servants, namely Ibra`hï~m the bosom Friend (of Allah), peace be on him, and then it (the Ima`mate) was inherited by the best of his children such as Isha`q and Ya'qu`b, and then it was inherited by the master of the prophets, the greatest Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, who entrusted it to the gate of the city of his knowledge, the most meritorious of his community, Ima`m 'Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, and then it was inherited by the pure Ima`ms from his ('Ali's) children whom Allah, the Most High, chose from among His creatures.
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1. ibid., 30, 56.
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Now, let us move to another part of the speech of the Ima`m, peace be on him: "Verily, the Ima`mate is the position of the prophets and heritage of the successors. Indeed, the Ima`mate is the vicegerency (
khilafa) of Allah, the Great and Almighty and of the Messenger, station of the Commander of the faithful, and inheritance of al-Hasan and al-Husayn. Truly, the Ima`mate is the reins of the religion, state of the orders of the Muslims, rectitude of the world and might of the believers.
"Verily, the Imamate is the growing root and lofty branch of Islam. Through the Imam the prayer,
zakat, fasting,
hajj, and
jihad are perfected; the general wealth (of the Muslims fayya') and charity (
sadaqat) are increased; the prescribed punishments and the commands are put into practice; the frontier-posts and borders are protected.
"The Imam allows what Allah allows, prohibits what Allah prohibits, administers the prescribed punishments, defends the religion of Allah, and summons (men) to the way of his Lord with wisdom, good admonition, and strong proof.
"The Imam is like the rising sun which covers the world with its light and which is in the place where no hand or eye can reach. The Ima`m is the radiant moon, the shining lamp, the brilliant light, and the star that guides (men) in the pitch-black night, in the deserted regions and the high seas. The Imam is sweet water for the thirst, the pointer towards true guidance, and the deliverer from destruction. He who separates himself from him perishes.
"The Ima`m is the rain-bearing cloud, the rainfall that covers everywhere, the shining sun, the covering that shades, the prairie, the overflowing spring, the pool and the meadow. The Ima`m is the gentle, close friend, the sympathetic father, the blood-brother, the mother who is tender to her small child, a place of refuge for mankind from perilous disaster.
"The Ima`m is Allah's custodian over His creation, His proof for His servants, His vicegerent in His lands, a summoner to Allah and the defender of Allah's precincts.
"The Imam is the one who is purified from sins, free from all shortcomings, characterized by knowledge, distinguished by
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forbearance, the state of the order of the religion, the might of the Muslims, the one who enrages the hypocrites, and the doom of unbelievers.
"The Imam is unique of his time, none can approach his rank, no man of knowledge is comparable to him; there is no one who can take his place; nor is there anyone similar to him or the same as him. He is characterized by every (kind of) eminence, without seeking it or acquiring it; rather, it is a characteristic form the Bestower of eminence, the All-giving. So who can arrive at the knowledge of the Ima`m, or have the ability to select him? How far! How far! Intellects have lost (themselves), imaginations have gone astray, minds have become perplexed, eyes have turned away, the great have been made small, the wise have confounded themselves, those who reflect forever fall short, orators falter, the intelligent have become ignorant, the poets have become expressionless, the prosodists have become incapable, and the eloquent stammer in describing one of his (the Ima`m's) aspects, or one of his eminencies. All of them have confessed their incapacity and inadequacy. How can his totality be described, and how his inner essence be characterized? How can anything concerning him be understood? Who can be found to take his place and to give what he can give? No! How and where? Since he is in the position of the star for the hands of those who grasp, and to the description of those who describe. What is the place of choice in this affair? What is the place of the intellects in this affair? Where can someone like this be found? Do you imagine that this can be found anywhere else but in the progeny of the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family. By Allah, they have lied to themselves; they have promised to themselves the impossible; they have climbed up to a difficult and dangerous height, (and) their feet will slip and fall to the bottom."
These parts of the Imam's speech indicate that the Ima`m is very important, that he is the shadow of Allah on earth, that he carries out the interests and objectives of the community, that he administers the prescribed punishments, defends the fortified borderline cities, allows what is lawful, forbids what is unlawful, and applies the law of Allah,
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the Exalted, on the general life of the Muslims. It is certain that these original objectives and ideals cannot by carried out by anyone on the arena of life except the Ima`ms of guidance, peace be on them, whom the oppressive, tyrannical community removed from the places which Allah had given to them. Accordingly, the community has suffered various kinds of oppression and tyranny.
The Imam continued his speech concerning lauding the Imams from
ahl al-Bayt, peace be on them, opposing the unjust rulers, and criticizing those who appointed them. He, peace be on him, said: "They want to appoint an Imam with (their) confused, unproductive and defective minds, and (their) misleading opinions. Nothing accrued to them but remoteness from him.
May Allah fight them; how they are turned away! Surely, they are looking for a difficulty. They have uttered an untruth and have gone astray into far error; they have put themselves into confusion, for they have knowingly abandoned the Imam.
And Satan made their works fairseeming to them, so he kept them back from the path, though they were endowed with intelligence and skill. They have turned their back on the choice of Allah, the choice of the Messenger of Allah and his house hold, (and turned) to their own choice, whilst the Qur'a`n has called them out:
And Your Lord creates and chooses whom He pleases; to choose is not theirs; glory belongs to Allah, and exalted be He above what they associate (with Him).1 And Allah, the Great and Almighty, said: And behoves not a believing man and a believing woman that they have any choice in their matter when Allah and His Apostle have decided a matter.
2 And He, the Great and Almighty, said:
What has happened to you? How do you judge? Or have you a book wherein you read, that you have surely therein what you choose? Or have you received from Us an agreement confirmed by an oath extending to the day of resurrection that you shall surely have what you demand? Ask them which of them will vouch for that. Or have they associates? Then let them bring their associates if they are truthful.
3
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1. Ibid., 28, 68.
2. Ibid., 33, 36.
3. Ibid., 68, 36-41.
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"And He, the Great and Almighty, said:
Do they not reflect the Qur'a`n? Or is it that there are locks upon their hearts,1 or has Allah set a seal upon their hearts, so they understand not, or they said: We hear, and they do not obey. Surely the evilest of animals, in Allah's sight, are the deaf, the dumb, who do not understand,2 or they said: We have heard and disobeyed.3 But that is the bounty of Allah; He gives it to whom He wills, and Allah is of bounty abounding.4
"How can they have (the right) to choose an Ima`m? Since the Ima`m is a man of knowledge; he is not ignorant (of anything), a shepherd who does not shirk (his duty), a mine of sanctity and purity, of piety and renunciation, of knowledge and worship. He is the one specifically mentioned in the supplication of the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, and he is of the progeny of (Fa`tima), the purified, the chaste. Aspersion cannot be cast on him in relation to his parentage, none can approach him in ancestry (or nobility: hasab). He is in the noble house of Quraysh, at the summit of (Banu`) Ha`shim, of the family of the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, and the one accepted by Allah, the Great and Almighty. He is the noblest of the noble and the true branch of 'Abd Mana`f (the father of Ha`shim and Umayya); the one whose knowledge forever grows and whose patience is perfect, who is completely acquainted with the Ima`mate, entirely knowledgeable in statesmanship. Obedience to him is obligatory, the one who establishes the affair of Allah, the Great and Almighty. He is the sincere adviser to the servants of Allah, and the protector of the religion of Allah.
"Truly, Allah accommodates the prophets and the Ima`ms, the blessings of Allah be upon them, (to the right path). He gives them of His stored knowledge and wisdom, which He does not give to anyone else. Thus their knowledge is far above the knowledge of the people of their time, as He, the Exalted, says:
Is He then Who guides to the truth
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1. Ibid., 47, 42.
2. Ibid., 8, 21-23.
3. Ibid., 2, 93.
4. Ibid., 57, 21.
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more worthy to be followed, or he who himself does not go aright unless he is guided? What then is the matter with you; how do you judge? I, and as He, the Great and Almighty, says: And whoever is given the wisdom, he indeed is given a great good.1 Also what He says about Ta`lu`t (Saul): Verily, Allah has chosen him over you, and has increased him broadly in knowledge and body. Allah gives the kingship to whom He wills, and Allah is All-embracing, All-knowing.
2 And He, the Great and Almighty, said to His Prophet: And Allah's bounty to you was great.
3 And He, the Great and Almighty, said concerning the Ima`m from among his Household, his family, and his progeny:
Or do they envy the people for what Allah has given to them of His bounty? Yet We gave the progeny of Ibra`hï~m the Book and the Wisdom, and We gave them a mighty kingdom. So some of them (i.e. , the envious) is he who believes in him, and of them who turns away from him, and hell is sufficient to turn.4
"Verily, when Allah, the Great and Almighty, selects a servant for the affairs of His servants, He expands his breast for them; He entrusts to his heart the fountains of wisdom, and profoundly inspires him with knowledge. So, after this, he does not stammer in answers, and he does not deviate from the truth in them. Thus, he is infallible and supported by Allah; he is accommodated (to the right path, and his steps being) firmly guided; he will be safe from errors, slips and stumbling. Allah distinguishes him by this, because he is His proof over His servants, and His witness over His creatures
that is the bounty of Allah, He gives it to whom He wills, and Allah is of bounty abounding. So do they have the power to do the like of this, so that they can choose him? Or can the one whom they choose have this attribution so that they may prefer him? By the House of Allah, they have transgressed against the truth; they have rejected the Book of Allah behind their backs as though they did not know; and in the Book
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1. Ibid., 2, 269.
2. Ibid., 2, 247.
3. Ibid., 4, 113.
4. Ibid., 4, 54-55.
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of Allah there is guidance and cure. So they have rejected it, and they have followed their own desires. Therefore, Allah has found fault with them, detested them and cats them down, as He, the Great and Almighty, says:
And who is further astray than he who follows his own caprice without guidance from Allah. Surely, Allah does not guide the unjust people. 1 And He, the Great and Almighty, said: Ill chance shall befall them; He will send their works astray.2 And He, the Great and Almighty, says: Verily, hateful is that in the sight of Allah and the believers; so Allah sets a seal on every heart proud, arrogant. "
3"4
This holy tradition is the firmest and most inclusive proof of the necessity of the Ima`mate. It shows that the Ima`mate is the most important office in Islam, and that it is not subject to the choice and election of the community; rather, its affair is in the hand of the Great Creator, for it is He who appoints and elects the best of His creatures for this important office, that such a creature may establish among men pure justice and truth, and that he may rule them through the policy of the greatest Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family.
2. The Marks of the Imam
Imam al-Rida, peace be on him, stated a tradition about the marks and qualities of the Ima`m. He has been mentioned in the tradition: "The Ima`m has marks: he is the most knowledgeable of the people, the wisest of them, the most pious of them, the most clement of them, the bravest of them, the most munificent of them, and the most worshipful of them.
5 "
The Ima`m should have these marks and qualities so that he is appropriate for leading the community and raising its economic and social levels.
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1. Ibid., 28, 50.
2. Ibid., 47, 8.
3. Ibid., 40, 35.
4. Uyun Akhbar al-Rida, vol. 1, pp. 216-222. Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1. p. 199.
5. Uyun Akhbar al-Rida, vol. 1, p. 213.
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3. The Imams are the Vicegerents of Allah
Abu` Mas'u`d al-Ja'fari narrated, saying: [I heard Ima`m Abu` al-Hasan al-Rida`, peace be on him, say:] "The Ima`ms are the vicegerents of Allah, the Great and Almighty, on His earth. "
1
Without doubt, the Ima`ms of
ahl al-Bayt, peace be on him, are the vicegerents of Allah on His earth, His proofs over His servants, and entrusted by Him with His land, hence it is they who lead this community and guide it to the good pleasure of Allah, the Most High, and obedience to Him.
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1. Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 193.
